


Life

by Stylin_Breeze



Series: Next Generation Captains Week 2018 [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Board Games, Comedy, Game of Life, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 01:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15697404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stylin_Breeze/pseuds/Stylin_Breeze
Summary: "It's the game that takes your drab, boring existence and casts it into the future where you can live out your wildest imaginations!" Bokuto proclaimed.Terushima had to know more about this magical game.





	Life

**Author's Note:**

> If you've never played the Game of Life before, don't worry! All you need to know is you have a little colored minivan piece, and you drive around the board while life events happen to you. That's basically it.
> 
> I'd always wanted to write a fic where characters play Life, and today's prompt gave me the excuse! I honestly don't know what edition of the game this is though; I played through an app on my tablet, and some things were different from the ancient version I own. Even so, there's actually only one thing I would have changed in the game if I'd had a choice in the matter. I'm happy with how it turned out.
> 
> Also, the fics I wrote for the fanweek were not intended to take place in the same universe, buuuuuut… Well, this fic is partly dedicated to all you wonderful people who liked my Day 1 and Day 2.

“Hey, hey, hey! Who’ve we got here?” Bokuto proclaimed happily as he eyed the blond-haired teen beside his former setter. Yuuji Terushima backed away slightly at the other man’s interest.

He was surrounded by legends: to his right, the setter and current captain of Fukurodani, Keiji Akaashi; to his left, the setter and captain of Nekoma High, Kenma Kozume; and before him, the recently graduated former captain and ace of Fukurodani, Koutarou Bokuto.

“This is the guy who went on that trip last year when you were sick,” Akaashi explained. By fate, they’d ended up on a plane together—and while they didn’t get off to a great start (the details of which they swore never to speak of again), once they landed, they hit it off and became great friends. “He’s a wing spiker from Miyagi and his team’s captain. Yuuji Terushima.”

Now, between school years, Terushima had come for a specific goal, which Akaashi offered to help make possible; but to everyone’s shock, Yuuji got down on his knees and bowed deeply before Bokuto as if in worship.

“I need your help! Miyagi is full of strong teams. Shiratorizawa will always be a powerhouse. And there’s that shorty with the freak quick. And…,” his heart seethed at the next memory, “…and when I play Aoba Johsai, I need to beat their new setter to a pulp!” His head snapped up with a determined look. “You were one of the great wing spikers and captains of our generation. I need you to teach me _everything_ you know, so I can dominate Miyagi and make it to nationals!”

Bokuto was amazed, the prostrate boy’s eyes barreling deep into his pupils.

“Oya?” he smirked.

“You know,” Kenma suddenly spoke up, “I was kidding when I said you had to bow.”

Terushima flinched, but his spontaneous ire at Nekoma’s captain instantly vanished when Bokuto chuckled.

“Sure. I’ll teach you.”

Terushima shot upright with glee, only for Bokuto to hold up three fingers.

“But first, the _three_ of you have to do something for me.” He took a deep breath before screaming melodramatically. “I’m bored!!! College hasn’t started yet, there’s nothing to do, and it’s driving me insane! So,”—he schizophrenically regained his cool—“before I teach you, we have to play Life.”

Kenma groaned.

“What’s Life?” asked Terushima.

“You don’t know what Life is?” Bokuto gasped. “It’s only the greatest game ever invented! It’s the game that takes your drab, boring existence and casts it into the future where you can live out your wildest imaginations!” He threw an arm over Terushima’s shoulders and seemed to paint a scene with his other hand. “You can be whatever you want, go wherever you want, do whatever you want, _become_ whatever you want—all at your fingertips!” He jettisoned away. “You can meet the love of your dreams and spend the rest of your life together in happy matrimony. Tell me, Terushima, is there someone you wish you could be with?”

Sweating, the Johzenji ace thought of a certain manager who had just retired. Ever since realizing she was gone, there were a few things he’d wished he had said to her while he had the chance. He was hoping to see her again in higher ed and make up for dropping the ball in high school, no pun intended.

But first, he had to know more about this magical time machine Bokuto spoke of.

* * *

“All right,” Bokuto declared now that the game was all set up on his bedroom floor, “it’s settled. First, one round of Life; then the loser buys everyone ice-cream; and then the _real_ training begins.” Terushima nodded eagerly; Akaashi and Kenma shrugged, knowing there was no way out of it.

“Just be ready,” Kenma warned, “Bokuto gets too into this game.” The former captain smirked as if taking the statement as an honor. Quietly Kenma also cast an eye at Akaashi. In truth, Bokuto wasn’t the only one who tended to get caught in the game’s spell.

Turn order was decided as follows: Terushima, then Akaashi, then Bokuto, then Kenma. The first choice of the game was to go to college or start a career; and at Bokuto’s advice, for simplicity Yuuji picked the latter.

 “All right,” he said as he grabbed a career card. Flipping it over, he was overjoyed at a picture of jocks. “An athlete?! Yes!” he rooted himself on. “Read it and weep, suckers!”

Akaashi gave him a blank stare, while Terushima hummed to himself at the thought of becoming a professional volleyball player. He snickered as he rotated the spinner in the center of the board to find out how many spaces he would move this turn. Then he advanced his yellow-colored minivan piece, landing on a space called “Get Engaged!”

“Seriously?!” he suddenly appeared flustered.

Bokuto grinned. “So, Terushima, you got your eye on someone?” Yuuji froze when the thought of Hana popped into his mind.

“No!” he huffed. No one bought it.

“Anyway, I’m going to college,” Keiji announced before spinning the dial. It halted smack dab on the #10, enough spaces for him to fast-track to graduation and get a choice of two careers.

The two cards he drew were intriguing alternatives: Veterinarian or Computer Designer. The latter had less income and was not that appealing, so Akaashi kept the former.

“Oh, what’s this?” Bokuto questioned. “Someone like animals?”

“Perhaps,” Keiji grinned. This happened every time they played: Koutarou insisted on attaching an ulterior motive to Akaashi’s career choices.

Bokuto’s first decision, though, was always predictable: he never went to college and jumped right into the workforce. Deep down, Keiji was glad Terushima took the Athlete card. Whenever Bokuto got it, it sent him down a sidetracked world of self-aggrandizement that was more than the setter could usually bear.

With the five remaining career cards face down in a row in front of him, Bokuto performed a prolonged ritual of feigned indecision before selected the card on the far left. He flipped it over to find out his job:

Hair Stylist

The room was silent. Bokuto stared at the card long and hard but finally donned a grin as his shining silver and black locks flickered in the light.

“This could work,” he schemed.

“Remind me never to go to your salon,” Kenma complained.

“I’ll have you know,” Bokuto spat and pointed at his scalp, “it takes _work_ to get hair this good, hey, hey, hey!”

Kenma went to college, not trusting the luck of the draw, and the cycle of turns rotated until Akaashi overtook Terushima and made it to his wedding day first.

Bokuto’s turn came around, and he whipped the dial with a frenzy.

“Come on, good number! Come on, good number!” he chanted until it stopped on a high digit. Bokuto’s car trotted along the board until it landed on the Elope space—automatically bumping him straight to marriage.

“Why am I not surprised?” Kenma muttered. “You always were the type to do something like that.”

“Maybe if you were ever _madly in love_ , you would understand,” Bokuto patronized. While Kenma continued to battle low spins and remained in college, Terushima was the next to wed; and his blush was evident at the thought of the ceremony.

Akaashi continued to trot along until it came for him to buy a house. As the various, differently priced residential options were laid out before him, he began to mumble.

“It must be something decent that I can be proud of and able to raise a family in. But not ostentatious or gaudy. Definitely not out of my price range, but needs to be roomy yet still preferably easy to clean. Doesn’t have to have a garage. Small lawn if any at all to avoid mowing too much, and in a good neighborhood where people are friendly and quiet and help each other out.”

He furrowed his brow as everyone waited in suspense. At last he picked up the Condo card and slapped it down in front of him.

He spun again, and his car ended up on a space that read “Have Twin Girls.”

“Oh, dear,” Kenma rolled his eyes.

“What?” Yuuji wondered. His question was answered when he looked at Akaashi holding two pink pegs in his fingers and delicately inserting them into the passenger sections of his minivan. His smile was clearly of a daydream.

“They’re adorable,” he whispered. Terushima wasn’t sure if Bokuto or Akaashi was the one more invested in the game now.

Finally Kenma graduated, and everyone looked on as he drew two potential career choices:

Accountant | Teacher

Kenma slouched peevishly.

“I hate both of these.” He flipped the teacher card away. “I can’t put up with a bunch of sniveling brats who don’t want to listen or respect their seniors, so I’ll stick with Accountant.”

“My turn again,” Terushima declared and took his spin, getting _his_ chance to buy a house now. Unfortunately he’d already lost money on a few occasions and didn’t want to spend too much, settling on the Small Cape.

“It’s just big enough for me and Ha—I mean my wife—to be happy in.” He spotted the two additional pegs in the back of Akaashi’s minivan and, with a blush, wondered if he’d have kids of his own. His eyes glazed over, envisioning the possibilities.

“Spin again,” Akaashi cued.

“Uh, yes! I know that,” Yuuji fibbed and spun the dial. He was trailing behind Akaashi’s car some ways now, but the space he landed on made his day:

Baby Girl

“Yeeeeeeeees! Hitomi! I’m gonna name her Hitomi!”

Kenma gnashed his teeth at the screaming reverberating in the room.

Akaashi took his turn. Happy with how things were going, he bypassed the chance to go to Night School and ended up on the space “Run for Congress.” While it required no action, he immediately slouched in ponderous thought.

“What’s wrong?” Terushima asked.

“I can’t imagine a political career will work well with two elementary schoolers. I hope they understand why Daddy’s not home as much.”

Terushima gulped.

Meanwhile, after purchasing a Mobile Home, Bokuto won the lottery.

“Yahooooooooo!” His shriek was even more grating than Terushima’s, all of it seriously pissing Kenma off, who finally made it to the Get Married space. His renewed wish for peace and quiet was shattered when Bokuto subsequently had a baby girl. Koutarou literally jumped to his feet and shouted to the heavens. “Thank youuuuuuuuuuu!”

Kenma was reeling over the board, covering his ears.

“Please, make it stop,” he moaned before he spun a number high enough to buy a house, picking the Log Cabin. “Nice and far away from you weirdos,” he murmured. And on his next spin, he landed on a space with a very simple command: “Vote!”

Bokuto was intrigued, while the amateur politician Akaashi smiled at his friend’s civic engagement.

“What are you going to vote for?” Bokuto inquired.

“Whoever’s running against Akaashi.”

Keiji felt genuinely betrayed.

As the others carried on, Terushima took his turn, only to find himself, pouting at the thought of his humble home flooding, while Bokuto landed on the space to learn sign language.

“Akaashi, what’s sign language? Is that like volleyball signs?” he said.

“Yes. Moving on,” Keiji curtly answered. He’d explain it later and hoped by nipping the conversation in the bud he could spare Bokuto some embarrassment. Nevertheless, a horrified Kenma shot a glare at the other setter.

On Terushima’s turn, his in-laws visited, and he took it with a smile.

“Well, now time to host Mr. and Mrs. Misa—I mean, those old farts. I can’t stand them.”

Akaashi grinned slightly. He was rather pleased their guest was getting into the game. On his spin, he landed on a space titled “TV Dance Show Winner.”

Bokuto gave his setter a stare of disbelief.

“You can dance?”

Akaashi blushed.

“Well, not particularly,” he reluctantly admitted.

“It was rigged,” Kenma mumbled just loud enough for Akaashi to hear, drawing a scowl.

“I thought you wanted to be with your _family_ ,” Kenma mocked.

On Bokuto’s next turn, he ended up on the Night School space and paused.

Now he had a choice: go to night school and get the opportunity to pick a new career card, or continue as “Tokyo’s Best Hair Stylist” and rock the board.

“I hate school,” he began to moan, his face contorting almost like he was entering emo mode, “but,” he continued begrudgingly, “I can do _better_ for myself!” He spun the dial again, and with a spin of a 10, he was able to speed through Night School in one go and pick a different career.

Bokuto’s hands carefully hovered over the four remaining career cards arranged in a square. His eyes were intensely closed as he appeared to enchant each card to make it the one he wanted. At last, he tapped one card and slid it away. Then after another ritual of audible humming, he picked a second card and revealed them both simultaneously.

Doctor | Lawyer

Kenma and Akaashi looked away nervously, both thinking Bokuto would be terrible at either career. Koutarou had no special attachment to either option himself, but what stood out to him was the fact the doctor’s pay was slightly higher.

“Call me, _Doctor_ Bokuto now!” he declared and slapped the card in front of him.

“No,” Kenma bluntly refused, “I’m claiming malpractice.”

“Fine! Get out of my hospital!” Bokuto railed. Once Koutarou finished his turn, the Nekoma setter took. He landed just short of the Night School space:

Lose Your Job

As if intentionally acting in opposition to Koutarou’s theatrics, Kenma huffily swiped one of the facedown career cards and flipped it over to find out his new occupation:

Entertainer

Bokuto burst out laughing. Akaashi looked away with a wide grin, unsuccessfully trying to resist chuckling at the thought of Kenma regaling the masses.

“What’s so funny?!” Kenma gnashed.

“Well, you got the hair for it at least,” Terushima observed.

Kenma formed a fist ready to knock the stuffing out of the next person that made a sound. There wasn’t much point, with Bokuto still guffawing.

“All right, my turn again,” Terushima declared and spun. He trotted his car along and read the space he landed on:

Coach Children’s Sports Team

His face began to light up as he envisioned himself in the place of Coach Anabara directing a volleyball club of his own: a true party team of unstoppable tag teamers, beating Karasuno High School handily in two straight sets. He peered down at the manager, his now teenage daughter jubilantly assisting the squad.

In his head, the girl, who looked like a 1st-year Hana Misaki but with Yuuji’s blond hair, was gazing onto the court. There was a boy, the ace of the team, who looked oddly like Yuuji’s former sempai Seiji Okudake, talking to his teammates while drinking some water. The boy glanced at the manager and gave her a friendly wave. Yuuji noticed his daughter wave back and instantly felt uncomfortable.

Terushima shook his head violently.

“Akaashi, your turn,” he growled as he plotted the demise of the teenager making googly eyes at his daughter. Akaashi now reached the point where he could elect whether or not to take the “Family Path.” Terushima noticed the teen’s face brighten just as it did when he gave birth to his twins.

“Family,” he said with a spellbound joy. He then twitched slightly when his next spin _didn’t_ land him on any new child spaces. Now Terushima was certain Akaashi was creepier than Bokuto.

And then on Bokuto’s turn, he wound up sending his daughter to a $5,000 sports camp.

“Rip-off!” Bokuto squealed. “I can train her just fine!” At that, he also whipped out a card from his hand—a Share the Wealth card, as it was called. The effect was to force another player to pay half the cost. Strategically, it was a good idea to make the player with the most money pay, which by then was Akaashi by a landslide.

However, Bokuto threw the card at Terushima.

“What? Why me?!”

“’Cos, _Coach_ , it was _your_ idea to send her to that stupid camp in the first place!”

Kenma wasn’t sure what to make of this as Yuuji grumbled and paid Bokuto back $2,500. As Kenma went for his turn, his eyes crossed over the Entertainer card in front of him, and he twitched with renewed irritation.

“What’s wrong? Kenma the Clown not cuttin’ it?” Bokuto teased. Kenma stared daggers at Koutarou and spun the dial doggedly. He now landed on Night School.

Akaashi smiled at him. “Are you going to Nigh—”

“Yes!” Kenma brusquely shouted and spun again. Like Bokuto before, luck had him zip all the way through immediately to his next chance to pick a career. He snagged the closest two facedown career cards and revealed them.

Computer Designer | Teacher

“Can’t get away from teaching, can you?” Terushima joked. Kenma wasn’t so much bothered though because of a certain intrigue at the thought of making videogames. He picked up the teacher card and tossed it clear across the room, hoping to never see it again.

“Hey! I need that!” Bokuto complained and crawled after the card to put it back in the box. Kenma positioned the computer designer card before him and closed his eyes with a nirvana-like peace.

“OK, I’m satisfied,” he said with relief.

After Terushima ran for Congress as well (without being asked, Kenma gave several reasons why he probably lost the race, while Keiji now classed Yuuji a political rival), Akaashi spun again. Chugging through the Family part of the board, his car stopped on baby boy.

Two twin girls and now a boy.

His life was complete.

Everyone noticed Keiji was even more obsessed with his new blue peg as he coddled it in his palm before adding it to his family car.

Then Bokuto won the same TV dance show Akaashi had before.

“Now _this_ is how it’s done!” Koutarou teased as he stood and prepared to dance.

“Sit down, Bokuto,” Akaashi and Kozume answered in unison. Koutarou plopped on his butt with crossed arms.

And eventually it was Akaashi’s turn again, ending up with another baby boy.

His eyes seemed to roll back in his head. He felt like he was floating in the heavenly clouds with an angel over him obscuring the sun. He asked the angel why he was so blessed.

The angel seemed to answer with Koutarou’s voice:

“Yeah, yeah, it’s all fun and games until they _poop_!” Bokuto, in real life, spat. The crude reference snapped Akaashi out of his fantasy. As Keiji rejoined reality, Bokuto found himself hesitating on whether to go down the family path himself.

“Oh, don’t forget. They poop,” Keiji resentfully mocked.

“But they’re so cute!” Bokuto depressingly admitted and growled. “More kids would be nice, but this girl’s hard enough. What with her being the best female high school volleyball player in the country!”

“How do you know she’s the best?” Akaashi pressed.

“Because! She’s _my_ daughter!” Bokuto sternly declared and took his car away from having more kids. Kenma took a spin and also ended up winning the TV dance show. Bokuto protested that he would reclaim his championship title. Terushima moved his car along, hitting one of several spaces on the board marked “Lawsuit.”

He now had the opportunity to sue a player for $100,000. He peered at everyone’s money. Akaashi was still in the lead with close to a million.

But, he had a grudge to settle.

“Bokuto,” he pointed.

Koutarou flinched, shocked he would be _falsely_ accused of something (because, he rationalized, he could never have _actually_ done something worthy of a lawsuit).

“Why?!”

“Because,” Terushima glared, “I still don’t think it was right you made me pay for _your_ daughter to go to _my_ camp. So suck it up and weep!” He snatched the money from Bokuto who griped. Kenma and Keiji exchanged looks. Both had the highest wealth totals right now and were quite glad their foes didn’t care about game strategy.

Akaashi leaned forward and spun, also getting the chance to buy a new home. He peered over all the options laid out before him as he mumbled to himself:

“With so many kids, they need space to grow and become their own. I want to give them the world, but I don’t want them to grow up to be spoiled brats like Bokuto. Still, I don’t want to squeeze them into something beneath their station. So nothing too cheap but also not gaudy.”

Keiji finally picked the $400,000 Executive Cape. Koutarou frowned, swearing he heard his name mentioned a second ago. “You were just talking about me, weren’t you?” he challenged. Ignoring, Akaashi spun again and found himself rolling in royalties as he landed on “Write Best-Selling Book.”

“Now you’re an author, huh?” Bokuto eyed skeptically. Terushima grinned, mildly curious.

“What’s the book called?” Yuuji asked.

“How a Tortured Volleyball Setter Became a Successful Politician, Dance Champ, and Cherished Father of Four.”

“What do you mean, _Tortured_?!” erupted Koutarou. On his turn, he spun angrily, also getting the chance at a new home. He didn’t have that much money but was struck by the picture of a one-story home with an old-school caravan in the driveway, for only $300,000: the “Double Wide  & RV.”

“I don’t even know what that is, but it’s _mine_ , hey, hey, hey!”

Kenma spun and also coincidentally ended up on a Lawsuit space.

“Akaashi,” he said quickly. Keiji wasn’t surprised and handed over the cash nonchalantly.

“But,” he added, “may I ask why you chose to inflict so much suffering on my innocent children through your frivolous litigation?”

“I don’t need a reason,” Kenma shrugged. “You’re a politician. That’s good enough.”

“Libel,” Akaashi whispered. The spat went ignored as Terushima spun. He went down the family path, but instead of getting more kids, he opened a daycare, getting $5,000 from every player per child.

Bokuto grumbled as he handed over his money. “You just find every way to rob me blind, don’t you?”

Yuuji simply simpered.

There was one more major life decision, and that was whether to take the “Safe” Path of Life or the “Risky” Path. Akaashi reached the ultimatum first and, not wanting to endanger his family, stuck to the safe path. Bokuto, as he always did, hopped on the path of risk. His next spin wasn’t so bad. In fact he was overjoyed despite the financial cost: Sponsor Sports Tournament.

“Yes! I call it, the Doctor Koutarou Bokuto Invitational!” he proclaimed. “All teams welcome. _Except_ Terushima’s!” he added spitefully. Yuuji threw up his nose in defiance.

Kenma, still way behind on the board, skipped the family path (with still no kids to speak of); but with the next space he landed on, the game dynamic changed:

“Find Buried Treasure” worth $500,000.

“Hey!” Bokuto interjected. “How’d you pull somethin’ like that off?!” Kenma shrugged. Akaashi peered at his opponent’s Computer Designer card and concluded that somehow all the Easter eggs he’d encoded in videogames gave him the intuition to find loot in real life.

Now it was Terushima’s spin, and frankly he was hoping for a low number. Still within the family path, he produced a 5. His heart beat faster as his car chugged along near the end of the Family path.

And then it stopped:

Twins

“Woohooooooooooo!” Yuuji shrieked as he added two pink pegs to his car. The next round, he adopted a pet from an animal shelter.

“A canary!” he declared with a bright smile.

“Do they even have canaries in animal shelters?” Kenma questioned. Terushima didn’t care; his idyllic family was complete, and that’s all that mattered.

And after another round of plays, with Kenma declining to upgrade houses, Terushima finally reached his chance to buy a new home. He peered at his drab and dingy Small Cape.

“Well, given the new additions to the family, I’ve got to move up to something bigger.” He peered at the prices. Bokuto and Akaashi had taken the two cheapest properties, and therefore Yuuji picked the next most frugal, a residence within his price range but spacious enough for the job: a Modern Victorian valued at $500,000.

“Who is this Victoria lady anyway?” he wondered aloud.

“Duh!” shouted Bokuto. “She’s the first female president of America.”

“No, she’s not. She’s the queen of Norway!”

“Norway doesn’t have a queen!”

“Shows what you know!”

Both knowing the real answer to the question, Akaashi and Kenma peered at each other and quietly decided to stay out of it. Shaking his head, Keiji spun. He shifted his car down the track and ended up on another important Life space:

Grandparent

Steam seemed to escape his ears. He plastered his hands over his blushing face, as joyful as if the news were real. Yes, his hard work as a father _had_ paid off.

And on Kenma’s next turn, he became a grandparent as well—though since he was childless, nobody was quite sure how that worked until Bokuto proposed that it belonged to the child of his spouse’s ex. Kozume snarled, not taking too kindly to having his only lover’s past turned into something complicated.

Akaashi was now close to reaching retirement and probably would on his next turn, but Yuuji, picking the Risky Path of life (Kenma ahead of him chose to play it safe), ended up on a Spin to Win space.

With the help of a card in his hand, Yuuji could pick two numbers on the dial and bet up to $50,000. If the spin was either of those two numbers, he’d win ten times as much as he wagered.

His first choice was obvious: #1, his jersey number.

The second choice was harder, but he decided to go with the highest number on the dial: #10.

He couldn’t explain it, but he was feeling lucky. He bet the maximum $50,000.

He spun, everyone eagerly awaiting the outcome. And as the dial slowed, it began to slowly click: 7, 8, 9, 10—until it rested—1.

Yuuji cheered, adding $500,000 to his stash from the bank.

It was now Akaashi’s turn. So close to the end of the board, his next spin indeed brought him to retirement, but now he was conflicted.

He had two choices: Retire at Millionaire Estates but risk having the precious Life tiles he’d accumulated by various means be stolen (already some were being passed around); but if he had the largest income at game end, he could get additional Life tiles. Or he could retreat to Countryside Acres where his Life tiles would be safe, but if he had the highest wealth, he wouldn’t get the benefits of being the richest player. At the end of the game, everyone’s Life tiles would be revealed, their wealth adjusted according to the amounts on the tiles, and then would be decided the winner.

Akaashi had over $1,800,000 at this point. He was the richest player on the board, Kenma behind him. Terushima’s sudden gain of $500,000 changed the playing field, however. Akaashi was more worried about his Life tiles being taken than he was about missing the benefits of being the wealthiest person, and he snuck off quietly to the rustic senior home in the countryside to live out his days in peace, visited frequently—he expected—by his adoring and grateful children and grandchild.

Bokuto spun and immediately got a lawsuit of his own. Keiji waited for him to sue Terushima who was still a few hundred-thousand dollars short of the lead, but surprisingly Bokuto pointed at the recent retiree.

“It may have taken me awhile,” Bokuto slithered, “but I finally recognize who my _real_ rival is. Fork it over!”

Akaashi parted ways with the cash nonchalantly, though mildly upset anyone would pick on an old man such as himself. Nevertheless, he was sure it was too late for Bokuto, at the bottom of the wealth ranking, to catch up.

One-by-one, everyone made it to retirement. Next was Bokuto who obnoxiously declared that he would be the richest player at game end and tromped into Millionaire Estates. He was about tied with Kenma at this point but was well below Akaashi and could only achieve victory through Life tiles. Akaashi was used to this though: Bokuto bet every time he would be the wealthiest player, no matter how implausible it was.

Kenma arrived next and, using the same reasoning as Akaashi, snuck off to the relative safety of Countryside Acres.

Then Terushima, after seeing not one but _two_ grandchildren (making Akaashi supremely jealous), arrived at Millionaire Estates. Right off the bat, he was at $2,000,000 even. Akaashi wiped his forehead in relief that he’d not bet on the fancier retirement home.

The final totals were produced with the bonuses of the Life tiles. Terushima clocked in at almost $2.3 million. Akaashi made up for the last-minute lawsuit but still trailed at over $1.8 million. And in a stunning upset, Kenma ended with $50,000 less than Bokuto.

Nekoma’s captain sulked.

“Fine, let’s get this over with,” he sighed as he stood to head out of the house to grab the ice-cream.

“No! I wanna play again! I have to win this time!” Bokuto screeched.

“You mean I’ll get a second chance with…” he blushed at the chance of reliving his imaginary family.

Akaashi sank forward with his daydream-like expression. “I want more grandkids this time,” he mumbled. And in no time, they were setting their cars back at square one.

Kenma gawked at the trio discussing their hopes and dreams for the new play-through, Bokuto so desperate to be an athlete this time he seemed willing to cheat for it. Having completely forgotten the reason he’d come in the first place, Terushima spun the dial to decide turn order.

“Y’all are creeps!” Kenma screamed.

* * *

During their second go-around, after talking Kenma back into playing, Akaashi was in college when he landed on the spring break space. Bokuto shot him a grin.

“So, who you gonna take with ya on vacation? Me? Or Terushima?”

Yuuji bat his eyes as if he were flirting to get picked.

Akaashi looked like a deer in the headlights.

“Kenma, would you like to go on vacation?”

“As long as there’s Wi-Fi.”

**Author's Note:**

> Truthfully, the only thing I would have changed if given a choice is make either Kenma or Bokuto spend an extra turn in Night School. Hope you enjoyed this little experiment!


End file.
